999 Ghosts and a Human
by LadyOfSlytherin101
Summary: Emmaline Deveraux buys the Manor, unaware it's haunted and the curse that hangs over it. Edward wants nothing to do with this intruder in his home. He discovers his new guest is incredibly stubborn and won't leave easily. Soon,the two respect and develop feelings for the other. But how will it work when one is dead and one is alive? Two can keep a secret if one of them is dead...AU
1. Chapter 1

_Welcome, foolish mortals, to Gracey Manor, home of 999 happy haunts. You may know the tragic story of Edward Gracey and his murdered intended Elizabeth Henshaw, but the story you are about to be told is a very different tale, but no less haunting. Our tale is about the deceased master of the mansion, Master Edward Gracey and the very much alive young woman, Emmaline Devereaux._

 _Miss Devereaux comes to Gracey Manor to restore it to its former glory and make her home there. She is unaware of the manor's tragic past and its present haunting._

 _Master Gracey hides away in the attic, locked away with his pain and memories of his past. He is very against Miss Deveraux staying in his manor._

 _A curse lies upon the house and all its inhabitants, keeping them trapped on our earthly plane, keeping them from knowing the peace of the afterlife. In order to break it, the Master must let go of his past and find true love once more._

 _But the path to true love is never smooth. Especially when one is dead and the other is alive._


	2. Chapter 2

"I don't like the idea of you moving so far away, Emmaline. Especially in some old dusty house in the middle of a swamp." Mrs. Louisa Devereaux complained to her daughter.

Emmaline rolled her eyes and continued driving down the heavily shaded road. She had heard of a house that had gone up for sale, incredibly cheap. She wasn't sure why it was so cheap but judging by the listing and the pictures she had seen, it was too good to pass up. As far as she knew, it was an incredibly old house and usually very expensive. Restoring things to their former beauty was a passion of hers, something she shared with her late father.

"Emmaline! Are you listening to me?!"

"Mama, I'm driving and the road is a bit hard to navigate. I don't want to end up going into the bayou."

"That's another thing! Why on earth would you want to live in this sort of place?" Her mother snipped.

Emmaline quirked a brow at her, but kept her eyes on the road."It's...something different." She pondered, "I like different, Mama, don't you know that?"

Louisa half-shrugged at her daughter's reponse and the movement was caught in Emmaline's peripheral vision.

The red head sighed inaudibly through her nose and reached for her mother's delicate hand. "I can't stay in Georgia forever Mama..."

Louisa's scowl shifted into a gentle and forlorn stare out of the window. She too, sighed.

"I know chéri..."

"I like to think of it as a new adventure. Just think, when I get it fixed up and cleaned, we can host grand balls like no one has seen in at least a couple of centuries. Besides, Daddy would have loved this place. I'm doing this for him. You know it was his dream to do something this big, and I feel if I do it, his dream will come true and he'll be proud of me."

Her mother didn't get a chance to reply as they pulled up in front of the gates that led up to Gracey Manor.

"Look at the size of the gates! Talk about your extra security." Emmaline breathed. "Either that or they have big possums out here."

Louisa looked unimpressed at the sight. "The state of the yard leaves much to be desired."

"It's another project to do. Think of it this way, once it's cleaned up, I may call on you to design it anew. I know you have an eye for that sort of thing." Emmaline wheedled, trying to get her mother to see the good in it. She didn't get a reaction so she sighed and drove up further to the gate before honking, hoping that the realtor was already inside and would come open the gate.

"Emmaline!"

"What? The gates don't have a call box. Maybe we're early." Emmaline unbuckled and got out of the car, heading to the gates despite her mother's protest. She ignored her mother when she huffed angrily and got out as well. She was too busy looking at the gates that were chained shut with a heavy padlock. "I guess he's not here yet."

"Well that settles it. Let's go home Emmaline." Louisa said a bit too cheerfully as she turned back to the car.

Emmaline groaned and followed after, not planning on going home just yet. "Mama, the realtor must not be here yet." She was about to continue when the groan of the gate behind them startled her.

Both women turned to see the gate free of it's chain and slowly creaking open to admit them.

"Mama, did you see anyone near the gates?" Emmaline asked, looking at her mother.

Louisa shook her head.

Emmaline wasn't one to get easily spooked, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't spooked at that moment. "Well... It's opened. Come on Mama." She got back in the car, Louisa not far behind her.

They drove up the drive and parked in front of the house. They got out again and walked up to the door. Emmaline lifted one of the heavy yet impressive knockers and brought it down a few times. The doors slowly creaked open and Emmaline poked her head in before stepping inside, Louisa not far behind her. Neither woman saw anyone near the doors.

"Mama... Look at this place!" Emmaline breathed in awe.

The front foyer was truly a sight to behold with a fantastically grand staircase on either side leading up to to the upper levels of the house, two more staircases breaking off to wings of the house. There was a long hallway between the two stairs right in front of them, but it was rather dark so Emmaline could only guess where it led to. There seemed to be another room off to her right, with a thick curtain in front of it. Emmaline moved towards it but was startled when a voice suddenly rang out behind them.

"Beautiful isn't it? You just don't see homes like this anymore. It's a timeless classic." The African American man spoke, Emmaline assuming he was the agent she spoke to on the phone about the house. "Jim Evers of Evers and Evers Real Estate, devoted to helping you find the perfect house so you'll be happy for evers and evers." He stepped forward to shake Louisa's hand, a big smile plastered on his face. "You must be Miss. Deveraux."

Louisa eyed the man, looking completely unimpressed by his tardy behavior.

Emmaline stepped forward. "Actually I'm Miss. Deveraux. This is my mother Louisa Deveraux. It's nice to meet you." Emmaline shook the hand that was offered, since it was clear her mother was not inclined to shake his hand. She knew her mother did not appreciate lateness, so the man was now on her mother's bad side.

"Well, alright! Let me give you a tour of the place." Jim gestured for them to follow him.

Emmaline was in complete awe throughout the entire tour and couldn't wait to move in. She knew there was a possibility of hidden passages and she vowed to find them out. The attic was locked, but she was sure she could either pick it or have someone come in and take care of it for her.

Her mother seemed to be impressed, until they reached the backyard. "Emmaline... There's a cemetery back here..." Her mother drawled, her face blank.

"Hey, it happens. Some people have pools, others have private graveyards." Emmaline replied still cheerful. She reached out and held onto her mother's arm as she tried to book it. "Mama, they're dead. They're not going to come to life and get you."

Louisa scowled, clearly unamused by her daughter's joke. "That's not funny Emmaline."

Emmaline snickered as she gazed out over the grounds. "Look at all of them! It must extend for several miles! This must have been in the family for centuries!"

"Oh joy. There's lots of dead people in yard that have been there for hundred of years." Her mother droned. "The foundation is probably rotted."

"Mama, calm down. Mr. Evers, why is this place going so cheap? Isn't this one of the multi-million dollar homes that's also a very old house?"

Jim looked a bit uncomfortable. "By law I'm supposed to disclose any incidents that happened in the house. Apparently the last owner of the house... Well, he hung himself."

"What?!" Louisa squawked.

"He did? Why?"

Jim shrugged. "Some love affair or something or other. The house was in this guy's family for years until he died. No one wants to buy it because they all think it's haunted. Not that I believe that sort of thing. There are most certainly no ghosts in this house!"

There was a loud crash from somewhere inside, almost like the house was contradicting the statement.

While Louisa and Jim looked spooked, Emmaline looked elated. "Where do I sign?"


	3. Update

Hey, everyone! I am so sorry I haven't updated this story in a while! I just wanted to let you know that this story is very much under construction and I haven't abandoned it in any way! I should have some chapters ready, so once I put them through an edit and last minute check, they'll be ready to post, so expect some mass uploads!

Also keep an eye out for some new stories as well!

If you have any questions, comments, suggestions or concerns about what will happen with this story, feel free to drop a review or PM me! Keep an eye because once I get enough chapters together to post, I'll be taking down the original and posting up the new so you can all get the new chapters and see when they go up!

Thank you for being so patient with me! I am in college so that means there might be times that I won't upload, but you can expect mass uploads of chapters to tide you over!


	4. Chapter 4

Something was different. Edward Gracey wasn't sure what it was, but he just knew. He hadn't left the attic since he had hung himself out of grief, preferring to lock himself away with the reminders of Elizabeth. He spent every day for the last hundred or so years staring at her portrait, trying to discover what he had done that warranted her to leave him. He blamed himself then and he blamed himself now. No matter how much Ezra and Emma begged him to come out, he refused to budge. He knew that it was only a matter of time before Emma and Ezra came and told him what had happened. Normally, Ramsley would have done this, but he had vanished soon after Elizabeth had left.

Right on cue, Ezra and Emma appeared, looking a tad anxious.

"What has changed? I feel that something is different in the mansion."

"Well, uh, you see, there's been a new development!" Ezra stated, trying to think of the best way to tell the master that his home had been bought.

"Oh, Ezra, really!" Emma sighed, deciding to get right to the point. "Master Gracey, a young woman has bought the house! She's started fixing it up."

"Someone has bought my home? I want you to keep an eye on her and make sure she stays out of here. Drive her off if you can or don't, it doesn't matter to me, so long as she stays away from here and me. Now leave me." Edward turned away from them and disappeared further into the attic.

"Well, you heard him. We have to scare her off." Ezra sounded a bit too happy about the idea as he and Emma left.

"Oh Ezra, I don't know. She seems so sweet and she's doing a wonderful job with the house. Maybe having someone living will bring a nice change."

"I still don't like it! Besides, the master wants her gone."

"He also said keep an eye on her and we don't have to drive her away. Besides, I don't think she's going to be scared of us. She didn't run off when we made that sound when she first came like it scared off her mother and that man. Why don't we just wait and see what she does and if she's a threat, we'll drive her off."

"Alright, you win. But I still don't like it!"

"Of course, dear."

Something was strange about the house. Emmaline had only been there a week and she began to notice things. Objects weren't where she left them and she was starting to find rooms already cleaned for her, bedding washed. If she left laundry in her basket, she'd find it a few hours later in her wardrobe, freshly laundered. That wasn't the only thing. After only two days of eating takeout, Emmaline found meals already prepared for her, still hot and waiting whenever she wandered down for food. Apparently whatever was in the house had gotten tired of her eating out. She was a little wary at first, but decided it wasn't worth angering whatever was taking the time to cook for her and ate all her meals in the grand ballroom at the end of the front hall past the armory.

Whenever she explored, she'd find an old lantern and matches waiting for her if she went somewhere the warm light of the sun couldn't reach. She also felt invisible hands turning her away from the attic. Clearly she wasn't meant to go up there, which just made her all the more curious.

The more time she spent there, the more she began to discern differences in the two main otherworldly prescences she shared a home with, that is, the two she could feel. One was a woman as she often picked up the rustling of skirts and this one always seemed to fuss if something was out of place or she wasn't eating. The other one was male and much more expaserated with her. Often than not, she'd find something that was clearly placed to frighten her or she was turned away from a more secluded part of the house. Whoever they were, they were looking out for her. In some strange sort of way, she was glad for the company. Her mother had refused to set foot back in the mansion and Emmaline's friends were all too busy to come visit. She wasn't phased by the idea of sharing her home with ghosts, being a firm believer in the supernatural and so long as they were nice and she didn't upset them, then what did she have to fear?

After about a month living in the house, Emmaline and her two ghostly friends managed to rid the manor of the dead vines and clean up the ground floor of the house. Emmaline had yet to try her luck out in the cemetery. She didn't want to disturb the graves, but she knew she had to possibly scrap most of what was in the front yard and start anew. Her friends had also called and promised to come and see her, two of which were in landscaping, another in construction and her best friend Charlotte was in home decor. They all offered to help her out with the house, something she was grateful for.

But for now, she was determined to explore and neither of her ghostly companions were going to turn her away from where she wanted to go. She had to plan it all very carefully. She stopped trying to get into the attic, lulling her phantom watchers she had given up. She kept this up for another month and one day got dressed, paying careful attention to her appearance, brushing out her hair so it fell down her back in waves and curls, tying the sides back with a blue ribbon, dressing in a matching sundress, doing her makeup so it was light and natural. She heard the female ghost bustling around, clearly happy she was dressing up and possibly going out as the ghost helped fix her hair, tucking a sprig of Forget-Me-Nots over her ear.

She left the house once she was finished and got in her car, driving out of sight. Once she was far enough away, she parked the car and carefully made her way back to the mansion and to the back of the house, where a rose trellis was fastened that led right up to her room. She carefully began to climb, alert to any creak or crack that might turn out to be something breaking and causing her to fall to her death. She didn't plan on dying just yet. The phrase 'Curiosity killed the cat' played in her mind but 'Satisfaction brought it back.' She could just hear her mother yelling at her to get down before she broke something, possibly her neck. But, Emmaline was a girl on a mission and she was stubborn to a fault, something that often got her in trouble.

But she wouldn't be deterred and made it over the balcony into her room, cautiously poking her head out into the hallway. She heard and felt nothing, no coldness to signal that one or both of her ghostly companions were near. Emboldened by this, she fetched a lantern and matches she had carefully hidden and headed for the attic, keeping careful watch on her surroundings. She encountered no obstacles and made it up to the attic, where another problem faced her. She was without a key and had no idea where one would be. But, that wasn't going to stop her. She pulled out a hair pin and inserted it into the lock, trying to be as silent as possible. Her father taught her how to pick a lock, though, it had been more for the unlikely situation she was ever locked in somewhere and needed to escape. She was sure he'd understand if he saw her now.

She grinned as the lock clicked and she could open the door. She did so slowly, hoping nothing would jump out at her. Nothing did, but a rush of stale and cold air rushed out the door to greet her, carrying with it the scent of something that had died but was removed, the faint scent of death lingering still. Was this where the master of the house had hung himself out of despair for his lost love? It was tragic, yet romantic in a way.

She had read up on the house and the previous owner had been in love with a woman who had been unsuited for him due to her lower class. But against the wishes of his family and advice of his friends, he had loved her so greatly and planned to marry her. But then, she had disappeared one night, leaving behind a note saying that she chose death over an eternity with him. The master had gone mad and in the depths of his despair, he had hung himself, unable to live a single day more without his beloved. How romantic was it, that he loved her so that he was willing to die so as to be reunited with his lost love. But... The story didn't make complete sense to her. Why would the woman kill herself is she supposedly loved the master of the house as much as he loved her? She had been given everything, a man who was devoted to her, even after her death.

Inside the attic were countless items, hinting at times gone past, coated in dust. She wandered through in awe, hardly daring to touch anything. A dress shrouded in a black veil caught her eye and she carefully removed the shroud to get a better look. It was truly a beautiful dress and she felt envious over the woman who had the chance to wear it. Everything in the house had become hers, so that meant the dress too. Perhaps, when she was fully finished renovating the mansion, she'd hold a grand ball and wear this dress. She reached out to touch it, but gasped when a hand grasped her throat and dragged her back, choking her.

Edward glared at the insolent girl who had dared to enter the attic and nearly touch what should have been his beloved Elizabeth's wedding dress. Fury welled up within him and overtook his senses, deaf to the choked pleading of the woman in his grasp, immune to her tears. He felt himself rise up to the very tower he had hung himself from and threw her away from him. There was the sound of shattering glass and a short scream before a sickening thud. Edward returned to his senses and looked out the window, gasping in horror at the broken form of the girl lying sprawled on the ground below. What had he done? He had never laid hand on a woman in a violent manner before. He fled the attic, disappearing into the crypt, to be alone with the horror of what he had done. There was no hope for him now, he had doomed an innocent soul to damnation

Emmaline gasped as her eyes flew open and her lungs took in air. She tried to recall what had happened. There had been a dress, and then a man who looked at her in rage. She recalled flying up, the sound of broken glass before falling, everything going black after that. She sat up, a little disoriented.

"Oh my goodness!" A woman's voice reached her ears and she turned to see an older woman dressed in an old fashioned maid dress bustling towards her, an older man following behind her. The woman knelt down and helped her to stand. "Are you alright?"

"I think so... I'm not sure. I feel strange." She looked up at the attic and saw the broken window. "I fell?"

The man and woman exchanged glances before the woman wrapped an arm around her. "Come along, we'll get you cleaned up and into bed. You've had a long day."

Something was wrong, she could feel it, rather, she felt wrong. "But I fell, I should be dead, or at least have broken something." She turned to look behind her as she was led away, despite their efforts and screamed in horror. Her body was lying there, broken and bloody with shards of glass in her skin, her eyes wide and glassy. She was dead.


End file.
